Sweet Suicide
by it's easier to breathe
Summary: Life's not fair. Some people learn to deal with it, and some choose not to. And a select few choose to take their fate into their own hands: He needed to get away from it all, but no one expected it to end like this... hiatus
1. conversations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. It says on the books, "J. K. Rowling." You see, this "J. K. Rowling" is an actual person… the person who wrote Harry Potter. Got it? Ok. Moving on now…

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_**sweet suicide**_

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"_conversations"_

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_Knock. Knock._

"What are you doing? You've been in there for about thirty minutes."

"I'm not doing anything. Don't worry."

Pause.

"I wasn't worrying, but I am know. Draco, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing. I'm fine, Blaise. Just… go down to breakfast. I'll be there later."

"… Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay, but you're going to go to breakfast. Got it?"

Another pause.

"Draco?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it, Blaise."

"Okay, then…"

"Hey Blaise?

"What?"

"Don't give in, ok? Don't give in."

"…give in to what?"

"You'll know when the time comes. Just promise me that you won't submit to them, okay?"

"Submit to whom? Damnit, Draco, what the hell is going on?"

Nothing.

"Draco!"

Pounding on wood.

"Blaise. Stop that. You're giving me a headache. Just promise."

"Promise what?"

"That you'll be stronger."

Silence.

"Blaise? Promise me!"

"Okay, okay…"

"Say it!"

A sigh.

"Alright, I promise. Happy?"

"Very."

"Now go to breakfast, Blaise. I'll be there later."

"… just don't take too long. Your hair's always perfect, anyway."

A chuckle.

"Yeah, I know, Blaise. I just need some thinking time."

"Alright… but if you're not downstairs by the time breakfast ends, I'm going to come storming back up here, you got it?"

"What ever you say."

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"Where's Draco?"

"He's locked himself in the bathroom, Pansy."

"In the bathroom?"

"Yeah."

Pause.

"Odd. He's usually the first one down for breakfast."

"Yeah. He's been acting strange lately, hasn't he?"

"Yeah…"

"Pansy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think something's the matter with Draco? Oh, for Merlin's sake Pansy, put down the spoon before you try to answer me!"

"Fine, fine. No need to bite my head off, Zabini."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know. Ask Theodore."

Someone shifts in their seat creating a creaking sound.

"Hey, Ted, d'you know the time?"

"Around seven forty-five. Why?"

"Just wondering how many more minutes before class starts."

"Ah… wondering if you have enough time to finish some last minute homework?"

"Actually, no. I was wondering how long Draco has before I go up and blow the bathroom door down."

"Ah… well, I'd say around fifteen more minutes."

An uncomfortable silence descends upon the Slytherin table before shuffling noises are heard. Students begin to head to class.

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"Ms. Bulstrode. Where, may I ask, is Mr. Malfoy?"

"I'm not sure, sir. Maybe Blaise knows."

"Mr. Zabini?"

"Oh, Draco wasn't feeling all that well this morning, Professor Snape, so he stayed behind for a little while until he feels better."

"Very well. The instructions are on the board along with a list of ingredients you'll need. You'll have exactly an hour and a half to finish. Begin, now."

-------

"Time's up. Bottle up some of your potion and bring it up for a grade."

Tinkling noise.

"I'm sorry, Potter. My hand must have slipped…"

Mumbling.

"Ten points from Gryffindor."

"What! That's not fair!"

"Detention. Saturday night at eight. Do not be late."

Pause.

"Yes, sir."

-------

"Something's not right."

"You're being paranoid, Blaise. Everything's fine."

"No. Seriously, Daphne. Something feels… off."

"I agree with Daphne, Blaise."

"Don't tell me that you don't feel as if something is off, Tracey."

"I don't know, Blaise…"

"Fine. I'm going to check on Draco, though. He didn't come down, even though I specifically told him to get his arse down here when breakfast ended."

"I'll come with you."

"Why?"

"Because I just realized I left my Charms book on the common room table."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Like the girls said, paranoid."

"Shut up, Theodore."

-------

"Did you get your book?"

"Yeah."

"Good, now let's head upstairs."

"Alright, then…"

Two sets of footsteps.

"So… what do you suppose Draco's doing?"

"Don't know. Don't care. He's dead meat when I find him."

"Angry, Zabini?"

"Shut it, Nott… or else."

"Ohhh… how scary!"

Flesh hitting flesh.

"Bloody hell, what was that for?"

"For being an annoying brat, you idiot."

"I'm older than you. _You're_ the brat, in my opinion."

"Well, who the hell cares about your opinion?"

"You do."

"Me?"

"Yes. You. you're the one making a fuss over what I said."

"…"

"Yep, I've won again, Zabini. Two points for Theodore, and one for Blaise. Having fun yet?"

Door opening. Then swearing.

"Nott, why did you stop walking? Damn, my foot!"

Pause.

"…Theodore?"

Sounds of someone being shoved.

Then a horrible scream that shattered the silence, piercing through the heart's and soul's of those who heard it.

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**Author's Note:** Hm… things are getting started. 

**Ignore any possible errors you found.**

Next chapter will be written "normally."

Thanks for reading!


	2. mors mortis

**Disclaimer: **Refer to chapter one.

In this story, let's _pretend_ that _certain _events _didn't happen_:

Dumbledore is still **a**live. Snape is still at **H**ogwarts. Draco is still at **H**ogwarts. Takes place in **D**raco's **s**eventh year, making him **s**eventeen.

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_**sweet suicide**_

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"_mors mortis"_

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He was shaking so badly. "Breathe in; breathe out," he instructed himself. Slowly, he pulled himself into an upright position. Closing his eyes, Blaise tried to rid himself of the images that had troubled him for days.

_Theodore had been the one who had screamed. Blaise was too stunned to move, let alone let out such a keen sound. It seemed that Draco had unlocked the bathroom door, and moved out into the dormitory. He was now lying on the floor, not moving. He was so pale. Paler than he normally was. His platinum blonde hair was messy, and strands of it were sticking up. Blaise had thought he was sleeping at first until he realized something was very, very wrong with his friend._

_A thin, red line was drawn across his throat. Blood had seeped out from the wound, dripping onto the now stained carpet. His gray eyes, open and blank, faced upward. His mouth was pressed tightly into a thin line, suppressing pain. Emotional or physical pain, Blaise did not know. A small pocketknife was on the floor next to him. _

_Theodore had gone into the bathroom since he had been convulsing. Not noticing the state the bathroom was in, he entered the small room where he found a trail of blood on the floor. His curiosity led him to the bathtub. Drawing the curtains aside, he began to hyperventilate. "Blaise…" he rasped out weakly, and then fainted on the floor. Blaise mobilized himself, and began walking slowly towards the bathroom and bathtub. The sight sickened him._

_The bathtub had been destroyed. Scarlet and black waters mixed with each other at the bottom of the tub. Crimson liquid trickled down the sides. _Drip. Drip. Drip._ The sides of the bathtub were scarred. Blue liquid adorned the tap. Chunks had been torn out, and were now lying on the floor. Looking around wildly, Blaise found that Draco had written all over the walls in black ink. The words, "They're coming for me," were decipherable. Blaise shuddered._

_The once ornate room now resembled a disaster zone. Several tiles had been lifted from the floor and were broken into sharp pieces. The bathroom mirror had been smashed. A nasty smell was radiating from the room. Blaise tried to carry Theodore out of the atrocious smelling room, but he just wasn't strong enough, so he had no choice but to leave Theodore. Walking out into the dormitory, Blaise could hear footsteps below. People were coming. He sat down cross-legged in the corner next to Draco. Transfixed, Blaise surveyed his dead companion. The sleeves of Draco's robes had been pushed up. The Dark Mark on Draco's left forearm glared at Blaise, as if blaming Draco's death on him. Rough red lines crisscrossed this way and that. Old scars and new cuts overlapped each other, caked in dry blood. A thick, jagged "**X**" was carved into the Dark Mark, ripping the wretched tattoo in half._

_**Bang!** The doors of the dormitory burst open. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape stood in the hallway, peering into the room. Blaise paid them no mind. He was staring intently at the vile snake engraved on his friend's arm. **"Don't give in, ok? Don't give in." **Their conversation earlier in the morning echoed in his head. **"…Just promise me that you won't submit to them, okay?" "Alright, I promise."** _

"_Mr. Zabini. Snap out of it." Professor Snape was standing over him, with a strange look on his face, snapping his fingers. Blaise blinked, dazed. _

"_Professor…" he whispered, before the strange smell of the room overwhelmed him, and closing his eyes, he fell into unconsciousness._

_It was only later that Blaise understood what the room was reeking of. It was the stench death._

Blaise opened his eyes, and glanced at the bed next to him. Theodore was mumbling and thrashing about in his bed.

"Ted," he hissed. "Ted!"

His friend's eyes snapped open. His eyes looked around wildly.

"Ted, it's only me, Blaise."

Ted blew out a sigh of relief. "I thought it was… never mind."

"What did you think I was?"

"Nothing. It's stupid really…"

"Well, tell me anyway. Everyone else already thinks we're crazy. What have you got to lose?"

Mumbling.

"I'm sorry… I didn't quite get that."

"I thought it was Draco," he explained in a barely audible whisper.

They both sat in silence, Ted reminiscing; Blaise thinking.

"_What are the both of you doing up at this hour?_ You both _need your rest_. You've been in a _traumatizing experience_! You need to _go to sleep_!" Madam Pomfrey's voice came screeching from out of the blue.

Blaise and Theodore quickly ducked under their blankets, and hid from the wrath of the nurse. Upon seeing their heads go under the sheets, Madam Pomfrey sighed, and went back to her room. Blaise fell back asleep after an hour or so, but Theodore lay there for what seemed like an eternity, listening to Blaise's even breathing, before falling into a fitful slumber.

They were both allowed to leave the Hospital Wing the following morning. Madam Pomfrey had been drowning them in potions, so they complained to Professor Snape that they were fine, and ready to leave the safe confines of the Hospital Wing. The Professor agreed. After a lot of yelling, an ill-tempered Madam Pomfrey left her office, entering the small ward, and allowed the two Slytherin boys to be on their way out. A smirking Potions Professor escorted them back to the Slytherin's domain.

Many curious glances followed the trio while heading down towards the dungeons. Word must have spread that something huge had happened. Professor Snape glared at them while Blaise focused on the back of Theodore's robes. Ted was mumbling to himself, completely oblivious to the stares they were receiving. Before they reached the entrance to the common room, Snape pulled them aside to tell the two of them that the news of Draco Malfoy was to stay as quiet as possible. The other Slytherins had been good at keeping their mouths shut so far. Pausing briefly, the Professor also told them that if they ever needed to talk to someone about this, they could go to each other or go find a professor for comfort. With his sneer back in place, Snape let the two of them back into the common rooms. _"Mors mortis." _(1) The password had been changed while they were gone.

Stepping tentatively into the common room. Ted noticed that it was quieter than usual. The fireplace was ablaze, and people were sitting in the large velvet emerald armchairs, but no one was doing anything remotely interesting. Many of the Slytherins were staring at the fire, or closing their eyes, as if fatigued. Ted had no idea that Draco's departure affected them so much. Upon entering the dispirited room, many people looked up, staring a little too intensely that Theodore felt himself shift. Blaise headed straight for the stairs to the boy's dormitories, unfazed.

"You can't go up there," Daphne called out.

Blaise spun around. "Why not?"

Pansy joined the conversation. "It's been blocked off because the professors don't want anyone to go up there. They are looking for clues or something that might help explain Draco's…" she swallowed, "Draco's passing."

Bluntly, Blaise said, "He committed suicide. Simple as that."

Pansy gasped, and her eyes filled with unshed tears. Daphne hit Blaise on the arm. "You _insensitive,_ _bigoted_ jerk," she hissed, and led a trembling Pansy away, whispering foul things about Blaise.

"Ow," Blaise scowled, rubbing his left arm.

"Well, you deserved it. You were being quite callous."

"Oh, shut up Milli."

"I agree with her, Blaise."

Blaise groaned. "Not you, too, Ted! I was just telling the truth!"

"Well, maybe the truth isn't always the best thing to say."

"She needed to hear it from someone, at one point or another."

Millicent and Theodore shared a look.

"Look. Just because you have accepted the fact that Draco decided to leave us, and that it hurts you, it doesn't give you the right to spread the pain to others who have been worrying about you!"

"She's right you know…"

Staring incredulously at Ted, Blaise exclaimed, "What are you, Ted? Millicent's groupie? And all right, I'll go tell Pansy that I'm sorry for being… what did Daphne call me? Oh right, 'an insensitive, bigoted jerk.'" He started to leave, but he was pulled back.

"What!" he yelled, annoyed.

"Lower your voice, will you? The entire common room is staring at you people."

Looking around, Millicent, Theodore and Blaise noticed that Vincent was correct. Many were gaping openly at the threesome as they argued. All three of them glared, and everyone turned away quickly.

"I was going to tell you that… ," he continued, "I doubt Pansy wants to see you at the moment, and Daphne might throw something at you. Besides, don't say you're sorry until you really are sorry. Or else Daphne might curse you and Pansy might hex you. Now that wouldn't be pleasant, would it?"

Blaise stared. "… Since when have you started giving advice, Vince?"

Vince shook his head. "It just seemed like the right thing to say at the time."

Ted clapped Vincent hard on the back. "You cease to amaze me, dear boy."

They stared at him. "You sound like my father, Ted," Blaise said cautiously.

"I was hoping for that effect."

"Oh."

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A few people from the Order were in the Slytherin boy's dormitories. They were searching for anything that Draco might have left behind. One person was in the bathroom, trying to figure out what Draco had written on the walls. They were careful not to break anything, and they were being very cautious. After all, a Death Eater had been living in the very room just a few days ago.

"Remus, come here, take a look at this," Tonks said in a low voice. She had just uncovered an envelope sealed with wax.

"What is it?" Remus carefully maneuvered his way across the bedroom, being careful not to step on anything and break it.

"It seems to be a letter of some sort…"

"Really?" Remus took the envelope from Tonks, and examined it. He ran his fingertips lightly over the wax. He turned it over. Long, elegant letters in green ink were on the front. "_Exanimus Serpens_," he whispered.(2)

"What does that mean?" Tonks asked, looking over Remus's shoulder.

"I don't know… we can ask Albus."

"We should show this to the professor. He will want to see if this is the last thing Draco ever wrote. It could contain some information and the answers we're looking for."

"True," said Remus thoughtfully, "but we might want to let Albus decide if we are to read this. This could be for Draco's friends and family, and it would be bad if they knew we read it before them."

"We should show this to the boys who found him. I heard that they weren't doing too well, murmuring in their sleep while they were in the Hospital Wing, I think. Reading the letter might give them some peace of mind."

"Good idea."

And the both of them turned to the other occupants in the room, told them what was going on, and quickly left for the Headmaster's office.

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**Author's Note:** Chapter Two. 

(1), (2): Feel free to look up the words... 'cuz I don't feel like telling you. :-)  
By the way, I'm not sure if the Latin is correct... if you find out that it is incorrect, please tell me so I can change it. Thank you...

**And thanks for all the nice reviews.**

Wow, that chapter was pretty long… especially for this writer.  
I don't know when the third chapter will be up. Hopefully by next week-ish? Maybe two weeks. It all depends on school work (tests are coming up).So… until next time! -waves cheerfully-


	3. the opening of the letter

**Disclaimer:** Refer to chapter two.

It hasn't been revised and I'll need to edit it later, but since you've all been so, so, incredibly patient, I decided to post this up first, and then I might replace it with a better… more correct chapter three.

This chapter was a bit hard to write. Kind of weird.

At least it's longer than the other two chapters, right?

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_**sweet suicide**_

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"_the opening of the letter"_

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Tonks and Remus reached the stone gargoyle in the Great Hall in a matter of minutes. Tonks looked at Remus expectantly. She didn't know the password. 

"Chocolate Frogs," and the gargoyle sprang aside.

They stepped into the small passageway, and were suddenly found staring at a large, wooden door. Remus raised his hand to knock, but before he could do so, the door swung open to reveal a girl who quickly pushed her way past them. Tonks and Remus stared after her with their mouths slightly open, surprised.

"Please, Remus, Tonk, come in… come in," the Headmaster told them from his desk.

Remus and Tonks gave each other a glance before stepping inside.

"I assume you found something of importance?" he questioned.

Remus looked at Tonks. After all, she was the one who had found it.

"Yes, professor. I was looking through his trunk, and I couldn't find anything. Then I noticed that there was a small rug under the trunk. I carefully… no, I didn't break anything… I carefully slid the trunk to the side, and lifted the rug. Underneath, there was solid wood. I knocked gently against the floor, and I could hear that it was hollow. I used a spell to take out the block of wood, and inside, I found this." She presented the letter to the aging professor.

The Headmaster cautiously took the envelope, and examined it. "_Exanimus Serpens," _he whispered. He turned to the two people before him.

"Do you know what _Exanimus Serpens _stands for?" he asked in a soft voice.

"No, we don't. We were hoping that you would know…" Tonks's voice trailed off.

"Lifeless Serpent. Apparently, this is a letter that Draco meant for someone to find after his death," he said quietly.

None of them spoke.

Nervously, Tonks spoke. "Professor… I…," she turned to Remus, "We… we thought that it was best if we let a member of Malf… I mean Draco's house read this letter before us. They will probably appreciate that we didn't go barging into their business, and they'll probably want to be the first to read what Draco has left for them. After all, they might be more willing to give us information after reading this letter."

"True, true…"

An awkward silence fell.

"So, have you decided on anything, Professor?" Remus asked.

"What? Oh, yes, yes… hand it to Professor Snape. He'll know what to do with it."

Remus and Tonks quietly left the office. As they walked down to the dungeons, Tonks was staring at the letter in her hands. When they reached the door to the Potions master's office, she stopped Remus.

"What do you think he wrote, Remus?" she said in a hushed tone.

He sighed. "Who knows? The letter was written by a teenaged Death Eater, who was clearly troubled. Actually, I'm quite surprised that we haven't been cursed or burned for touching that letter."

"Well, maybe my cousin was a less paranoid than you thought?"

Remus looked thoughtful, "Perhaps. Shall we go in now?"

The door opened. "Enter."

Remus and Tonks looked at each other, and walked into the office of the Severus Snape.

-------

"Pansy, please stop crying. Will you let me in?" Daphne called out to Pansy, who was currently in the bathroom bawling. She had locked the door, and she not about to let anyone in just yet.

Sobs were muffled by the door, but Daphne could still hear them. She was sure that Pansy would be in there for quite a while.

"Blaise was a jerk. Don't listen to him!" she cried again.

"So she locked herself in there, huh?"

Daphne looked towards the door. She sighed. "Yeah. Do you think you can try and talk to her so that she'll come out?"

Millicent snorted. Daphne looked flabbergasted. "Milli!" she gasped, "that's very unlady-like!"

Millicent looked at Daphne with slight contempt. "Does that really matter at the moment, Daph? I mean, shouldn't you be focusing on Pansy, and not by 'outlandish behavior,' as you often put it."

Daphne, affronted, turned away, mumbling, "Just talk to her. She hasn't come out in a few hours."

"I'll see what I can do."

Knocking on the door, Millicent yelled. "Pansy, quick! They've found out why Draco killed himself!"

Millicent looked at Daphne, and raised three of her fingers. _Three… two… one…_

The bathroom door banged open, and a frazzled Pansy flew out. Millicent quickly shut the bathroom door, and sealed it, while Daphne ran to the dormitory door, and slammed it shut, quickly locking it from the inside and out with her wand.

With one look at Pansy's state, Pansy gasped while Millicent stared, shocked. Pansy's once kempt, straight brown hair was now in disarray and was sticking up at odd angles. Her makeup was smudged, and dark dried streaks could be seen on her cheeks were her mascara had ran when she cried. With puffy, red eyes, she glared at her friends. "You… you…" she stuttered.

"We what?" said Millicent calmly, unfazed that Pansy was on the edge of breaking.

Daphne, the peacemaker between the two, blurted out, "Pansy, we were worried about you. You need to eat or rest!"

"Well, I don't know about Daphne, but I needed to go to the bathroom. Curfew has been moved to an earlier time because of Draco's… you know…" she quickly unsealed the bathroom, and rushed inside. Leaving Daphne and Pansy in their dormitory, alone, staring at each other.

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"Ah… Tonks… Lupin. What do you need?" the potions professor drawled.

"A letter of Draco's has been found, and it might be his… well, what we would call, 'his suicide note.'"

Snape glared at them both. "As head of Slytherin House, why wasn't I informed of this earlier?"

Tonks shifted uneasily in her seat. "We were afraid that you would… blow up, and take the letter away from us, when we really needed to find out more about it."

"It belonged to one of my students. I think I had the right to know what was going on," Snape hissed.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the room. Tonks and Remus weren't meeting Snape's eyes, a bit embarrassed and feeling a little awkward.

"Well? Don't just sit there. What did the letter say?" Snape asked calmly, masking all his emotions.

"We… don't know. We were just informing the headmaster that we did find something. We thought it was best if we let one of the Mal… I mean, Draco's friends read it first," Remus replied evenly.

Snape surveyed the two. "For once, you two did _something_ right."

Tonks was about to reply with a nasty comment when Remus held up a hand.

"This is not the time to fight. We should find one of these boys immediately, and let him read the letter. That will save time, and it allows us to find out if that letter has any information we need." He pointed to the manila envelope on Snape's cherry wood desk.

Tonks nodded vigorously, approving of the plan. They turned to Snape, who was staring thoughtfully at the envelope.

He opened his mouth and closed it. Then, stroking his chin, he said, "Very well."

------- 

"I talked to the headmaster," Pansy blurted out.

Daphne looked incredulous. "You what?"

"I went to go talk to him. I needed someone to help me through this…"

Angry, Daphne all but yelled, "You have me! You have Milli! Why couldn't you have talked to either of us? We were both trying to help you!" and in a softer, broken voice, "but we just weren't good enough, huh?"

Eyes wide, Pansy said, "No! I never meant that. I needed someone more understanding. Someone wiser. More experienced with… handling the death of someone close."

"My mother died when I was five. I think that counts as 'handling the death of someone close,'" Daphne muttered in a cold voice.

A toilet flushed, and Millicent stepped out of the bathroom to find Pansy and Daphne staring daggers at each other. "For Merlin's sake! I leave the both of you for a few minutes, and you're already trying to rip each other's heads off!"

"Milli? Shut up."

Millicent blinked. Daphne had never spoken to anyone like that before. "What…"

Pansy turned. "You heard her, shut up."

"Now you listen to me…" Millicent began again.

"Shut the fuck up, Bulstrode!"

Huffing, and feeling a little bit hurt, Millicent quickly unlocked the dormitory door, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Pansy closed her eyes, and sank down onto her bed. "We took it a little far, didn't we?"

"Yes... I do believe this is all your fault."

Eyes snapping open, Pansy glowered fiercely at Daphne, and hissed venomously, "This is not my fault. Don't you dare blame this all on me!"

Daphne winced at the tone of voice Pansy was using: icy and distant. She was losing her best friends. The ones who had always been there to comfort her when she needed it. The ones that actually cared about what happened to her… and she was losing it all. And the worst part of it was… she wasn't sure she would be able to make it out of everything that was coming alive without them.

-------

"I'm afraid I don't understand, professor…"

Snape looked at Blaise solemnly. "It's a letter from Draco… he wrote it before he died. We think that he intended for one of you to find it and read it."

"Why didn't you tell me before? We are his friends. We are the ones who found him. We are the ones who stuck by him from the beginning to the end."

Snape regarded Blaise with solemn eyes. "If you were really with him from the beginning to the end, you would be dead, too, Mr. Zabini."

Blaise stared wordlessly at his professor. Then he looked back down at the slightly wrinkled envelope. "Should I read it now?"

The headmaster intervened before Snape could say anything. "Please, Mr. Zabini… we are all quite interested in the letter's contents… but please… understand that you must be careful. We have no idea what Draco might have done to the letter."

"Couldn't you have check for curses? Jinxes?"

"Yes… but checking for them might have triggered something else. Sort of like a defense mechanism." He paused. "Draco was fooling around with dark magic… a smart boy like him would have been able to figure out some of the dark spells. His father probably taught him some when he was younger, too."

Looking around, Blaise took a deep breath, and began to open the letter. "Wait. Shouldn't the others know about the letter, too? I mean, we were all affected and some of us were devastated when we found out that Draco died."

Snape looked at Dumbledore. The headmaster nodded, and Snape led the way to the Slytherin common room. When the reached the entrance, the Headmaster stepped inside first, explaining to all the Slytherin students the situation. Most of them stayed… allowing the professors to come into their domain. Their sanctuary. Pansy, Daphne, and Millicent were present… as well as Vincent, Gregory and Theodore. They waited patiently and surrounded Blaise, almost protectively.

Blaise gave them a quick, nervous smile before gently putting the tip of his finger under the flap. He carefully tugged at the paper, and the envelope tore in a semi straight line. He pulled out the letter cautiously, and when it didn't start spewing fireworks or cursing everyone in the proximity, he unfolded the piece of parchment. Draco's unmistakable scrawl peered up at Blaise. The green ink looked dull in the dim light. Dull like Draco's eyes. Shaking off a feeling, Blaise began to read out loud.

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**Author's Note:** Almost done with this… one to two more chapters left. Hang in there with me :-) 

Thanks for all the kind reviews. Totally appreciate it.


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